7 Tips for Thriving on Night Shift
Working the night shift can take a toll on your physical and mental health over time. If you are having a hard time getting to sleep or handling the additional stress that can come from working these shifts, it can be easy to feel frustrated, anxious, and overwhelmed.
Fortunately, there are steps you can take to help you improve your sleep and your mental health while you work the night shift.
Here are a few ways to help you maintain your sanity while working nights:
1. Follow a sleep schedule
If you have an erratic sleep schedule, it can make it difficult for you to get a good day’s rest and leave you feeling tired and disoriented all throughout your day.
Setting and adhering to a strict sleep schedule will make it easier for you to fall asleep after work and wake up in the afternoon because it allows you to gain control of your body’s internal clock.
Select a specific time to go to sleep and to wake up and make sure you follow this schedule consistently, even on your days off. You will quickly notice that you start to feel sleepy around your set “bedtime” each morning, and you will find that it is no longer a struggle to hop out of bed at your “wake time” each afternoon.
When you create a sleep schedule, you should keep these tips in mind:
Take it slow
You can’t expect to completely change your sleeping habits overnight. It can take quite sometime for your circadian rhythm to adjust. Try adjusting your schedule in 15–20 minute increments so that your body can gradually adjust to a new bedtime and wake time.
Stay consistent.
It might be tempting to sleep in or stay up later on days when you don’t have to work the night shift, but doing this will just make it even harder for you to go to sleep the next day.
Create a specific sleep schedule, and stick to it every day.
2. Optimize your sleep environment
Following a sleep schedule will not be much help if you do not have an environment that is conducive to sleeping.
Bright lights, loud sounds, and warm temperatures can make it difficult to fall asleep in the morning and affect the quality of sleep you receive each day.
Here are a few ways to create a sleep environment that will improve your quality of sleep and help you feel well-rested when you wake up:
Block out sunlight
It can be hard for you to get to sleep after work if you are exposed to sunlight or any other bright lights. Sunlight and artificial light disrupt your circadian rhythm, making your body believe that it is time to be awake rather than asleep. Investing in blackout curtains or an eye mask can help you stick to your sleep schedule and fall asleep with ease.
Wear earplugs
Whether there is construction or other noises outside, or your family making noise inside, a constant barrage of noise can keep you from falling and staying asleep. Try wearing earplugs or playing white noise to drown out these sounds when you’re trying to sleep during the day.
Lower the temperature
Staying comfortable is key to helping you get peaceful, high-quality sleep each morning. Since your body needs to drop in temperature in order to sleep, it can help to make sure that your room is cool. While it depends on the person, experts recommend that sleeping quarters are set at a temperature near 65℉ in order to promote healthy sleep.
When your environment is designed to promote sleep, you will have a far easier time getting enough rest each day.
3. Practice good sleep hygiene
The same way you would feel off if you left your home without brushing your teeth or taking a shower, your quality of sleep will be off if you don’t practice good sleep hygiene.
Here are a few habits that can improve your sleep hygiene and your overall sleep health:
Keep screens out of your bedroom!
Avoid using phones and screens for several hours before you go to bed. The blue light emitted from these screens is one of the largest offenders when it comes to insomnia and difficulty falling asleep.
This is because this cooler, blue light can be upward of 5,000 Kelvin. The higher a light’s Kelvin rating, the more likely it is to disrupt your circadian rhythm, which controls your sleeping and waking cycle.
If you want to fall asleep and stay asleep, keep your phones, tablet, laptop, and other screens out of your bedroom. If this isn’t possible, there are a few other strategies you can try:
- Consider wearing blue-light glasses that will block out this light and keep it from influencing your circadian rhythm.
- Change the settings on your phone so that it switches to night mode from the time you leave work until you are ready to wake up.
4. Eat and drink at designated times
While it is always important for you to strive to eat a balanced and healthy diet, when it comes to helping you improve your sleep, when you eat can be just as important as what you eat.
Avoid eating right before bed. At a minimum, you want to make sure you have at least 3 hours in between eating a meal and going to sleep. This will keep you from going to bed on a full stomach and make sure you have enough time to digest your food and sleep comfortably.
If you are one of the many people who practice intermittent fasting, consider shifting your eating schedule to fit your needs. While this practice typically involves eating between 12 pm and 8 pm, this is not the best window for people who work the night shift. Adjust your time frame so that you are able to eat earlier and quit 6–8 hours before you plan on sleeping.
This is especially important for you to keep in mind if you drink coffee or other caffeinated beverages. It can take over four hours for caffeine to leave your system, so you want to make sure you have your last cup of coffee or energy drink at least four hours before bedtime.
When you adjust your eating habits so that you are only eating several hours before you are ready to go to sleep, you will notice an immediate difference in your sleeping habits.
5. Exercise
Getting adequate exercise each and every day can help you stay sane while you are working nights. Exercise releases endorphins that are shown to help boost your mood and relieve stress.
Just like with your eating habits, timing is key when it comes to getting exercise. Contrary to popular belief, squeezing in high-intensity interval training before you go to bed won’t actually help you fall asleep faster!
Try to spend some time getting exercise as soon as you wake up. If possible, see if you can work out outside so that you can get some vitamin D and increase your serotonin (the happiness hormone) levels while releasing endorphins at the same time.
An additional benefit of exercise is that it has been shown to improve the quality of sleep.
6. Practice mindfulness
Working nights can be incredibly stressful, especially if you are struggling to get enough sleep at night. One of the best ways to make sure that your mental health isn’t suffering while you work the night shift is to practice mindfulness.
Take time out of each day, even if it is just five minutes, to check in with yourself practice mindfulness:
- Journal. Write down your thoughts or feelings or use your journal to keep track of how different habits affect your mental health and your sleep health.
- Write a gratitude list. This will remind you of everything you have to be thankful for even when you are feeling stressed, and it will help you have a more positive outlook on life.
- Practice meditation. This will help you relieve stress and stay focused on the present moment.
Adding any of these seemingly minor steps to your afternoon routine can make a major difference when it comes to managing your stress and improving your mental health.
7. Consider taking supplements
If you’ve developed a specific sleep schedule, you are mindful of when you eat and drink each day, and you have created an environment that is perfect for sleeping, but you still struggle to fall asleep or to feel well-rested when you wake up, you may need to take supplements to help.
People who work nights face unique challenges than those who work day shifts. For instance, those who work the night shift are more likely to suffer from insomnia and typically experience less REM sleep than their day shift working counterparts.
Supplements can help:
- Taking a supplement like P5P (vitamin B6) can help increase the amount of REM sleep you receive each day.
- Melatonin is another supplement you can take that has been shown to improve the quality of sleep for those who work nights.
- If you struggle to quiet your mind and your body when you are trying to fall asleep, taking magnesium supplements may help (there are numerous types of magnesium supplements but start with magnesium glycinate).
Before you start taking any supplements, make sure you speak with a medical professional and do your research to figure out which supplements will help address the specific sleep or health problems you are facing.
Keeping these seven tips in mind will help you improve your sleep and your mental health while you are working the night shift. If you find yourself battling stress and anxiety, waking up feeling tired and like you barely got any sleep, or feeling overwhelmed while working nights, incorporating these strategies into your life can make a significant difference.
Night Shift Nutrition is a community focused on living your best life, while working nights. We do this by sharing our experiences and science based educations. The point is to not only survive working nights but to thrive! If this sounds like something you’d like to be a part of you can apply to join our facebook group or subscribe to our email list.
